Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China
China: Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel was 63.25 million tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China stood at 63.25 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and up 100.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China peaked at 76.54 million tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.12 million tonnes, in 1961.
That places China 2nd out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.68 million tonnes | 1.12 million tonnes | 10.22 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.96 million tonnes | 1.40 million tonnes | 2.61 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.28 million tonnes | 2.30 million tonnes | 14.28 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.84 million tonnes | 2.60 million tonnes | 17.56 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.86 million tonnes | 12.32 million tonnes | 32.59 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.36 million tonnes | 26.52 million tonnes | 59.06 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.99 million tonnes | 51.47 million tonnes | 76.54 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.30 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 6.7% (2025)
- Rural population 473.41 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 33.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 99.99 million hectares (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China?
- Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China was 63.25 million tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 76.54 million tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.12 million tonnes in 1961.
- How does China rank for cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel?
- China ranks 2nd out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 100.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Quantity of cereal crops allocated to other uses (and not to human food or animal feed), predominantly industrial uses such as biofuel production.